The Stray Lamb. A Grandmother's Story Poem Rhyme Scheme and Analysis
Rhyme Scheme: ABCBDEFE FBGB EH IJKJCLCL CIGICLML FGCGFEIE KNFNAOKO GPCPFEGE QIKICLKL FRIRGSTU VWKWGXFX KFKFKECEGECE CYFYCOFO FPKPMZA2ZMB2KL GLKLC2D2E2D2 CF2GF2G2H2CH2 I2C2IC2J2OCO K2L2CVIOCOFOFO| We had finished our pitiful morsel | A |
| And both sat in silence a while | B |
| At length we looked up at each other | C |
| And I said with the ghost of a smile | B |
| Only two little potatoes | D |
| And a very small crust of bread | E |
| And then God will care for us Lucy | F |
| John quietly answering said | E |
| - | |
| Yes God will provide for us Lucy | F |
| He said after musing a while | B |
| I'd been quietly watching his features | G |
| With a feeble attempt at a smile | B |
| For 'trust in the Lord and do good ' | - |
| Our Father in Heaven has said | E |
| 'So shalt thou dwell in the land | H |
| And verily thou shalt be fed ' | - |
| - | |
| Scarcely the words had he spoken | I |
| When a faint little tap at the door | J |
| Surprised us for all the long morning | K |
| The rain had continued to pour | J |
| I am sure I shall never remember | C |
| The pelting and pitiless rain | L |
| Of that desolate day in November | C |
| Without a dull heart throb of pain | L |
| - | |
| For work had grown scarcer and scarcer | C |
| Till there seemed not a job to be done | I |
| We had paid out our very last sixpence | G |
| And of fuel and food we had none | I |
| John had tried no one ever tried harder | C |
| For work but his efforts were vain | L |
| And I wondered all faith had not failed him | M |
| That morning when out in the rain | L |
| - | |
| Come in said John speaking quite softly | F |
| And opening the door a small space | G |
| For there stood a thin little beggar | C |
| With such a blue pitiful face | G |
| O sir if you please sir I'm hungry | F |
| Do give me a small bit of bread | E |
| Come in then you poor little woman | I |
| I am sure you are freezing John said | E |
| - | |
| We each caught a hand cold and dripping | K |
| And drew the poor trembler in | N |
| But she sank at our feet like a baby | F |
| Half frozen and drenched to the skin | N |
| John ran for our last bit of fuel | A |
| And I to an old box where lay | O |
| Our own little Maggie's warm clothing | K |
| Our Maggie dead many a day | O |
| - | |
| I tore off her old dripping tatters | G |
| And rubbed her blue shivering form | P |
| And then put those precious clothes on her | C |
| And made her all glowing and warm | P |
| O ma'am if you please I'm so hungry | F |
| Again the dear innocent said | E |
| So John brought our two cold potatoes | G |
| And our one little morsel of bread | E |
| - | |
| Here take this he said and she snatched it | Q |
| And ate till the last bit was done | I |
| And we two looked on never grudging | K |
| Our all to the famishing one | I |
| I looked up a half minute after | C |
| But John had slipped out in the rain | L |
| And the wind was still howling and raging | K |
| Like some great cruel monster in pain | L |
| - | |
| Soon the pale little eyelids grew heavy | F |
| And I watched till the weary one slept | R |
| Then I a poor weak hearted woman | I |
| Held her closer and oh how I wept | R |
| With our fire all burned out to black ashes | G |
| Our very last bit of food gone | S |
| Poor John too out facing the tempest | T |
| And I left there shiv'ring alone | U |
| - | |
| But the little warm head on my bosom | V |
| Seemed so strangely like hers that I lost | W |
| And the soft little hands I was holding | K |
| So like the dear hands that I crossed | W |
| In their last quiet rest and those garments | G |
| Ah those garments I mused till it seemed | X |
| I had got back my own little Maggie | F |
| And then for long hours I dreamed | X |
| - | |
| - | |
| - | |
| Why Lucy my girl you are sleeping | K |
| Come rouse up and get us some tea | F |
| It was John who'd returned and was speaking | K |
| Poor wife you're as cold as can be | F |
| See here are some coals for the firing | K |
| And here is a nice loaf of bread | E |
| A steak and a morsel of butter | C |
| Some tea and some sugar he said | E |
| Nay now do not ask any questions | G |
| Let me just lay this lammie in bed | E |
| And when we have had a nice supper | C |
| I'll tell you dear all how it sped | E |
| - | |
| And so when the supper was over | C |
| That supper I'll never forget | Y |
| The warm glowing fire oh so cozy | F |
| I can see every coal of it yet | Y |
| We knelt down and John thanked the dear Father | C |
| For all He had sent us that day | O |
| Yes e'en for thee dear pretty baby | F |
| His own little lamb gone astray | O |
| - | |
| And then in a few words John told me | F |
| Of his desperate walk in the storm | P |
| Every minute believing expecting | K |
| That God would His promise perform | P |
| Of the merchant up town who had hailed him | M |
| One of his men being sick | Z |
| And hired him to run of a message | A2 |
| And because he'd been trusty and quick | Z |
| Had trebled his wages and told him | M |
| To come the next morning again | B2 |
| Just because added John softly laughing | K |
| I'd been willing to work in the rain | L |
| - | |
| Well long ere the morning dawned on us | G |
| The child had grown frantic with pain | L |
| And for many long days she lay moaning | K |
| With the fever that burned in her brain | L |
| Every morning John prayed by her pillow | C2 |
| Then went to his work and I stayed | D2 |
| And kept my sad watch the long day through | E2 |
| And at night he returned to my aid | D2 |
| - | |
| At length the fierce struggle was over | C |
| She lived and we both were content | F2 |
| For we knew God had given her to us | G |
| His lamb through the wintry storm sent | F2 |
| The fever had burned every record | G2 |
| Of home and friends out of her mind | H2 |
| And though we sought long yet we never | C |
| Any traces of either could find | H2 |
| - | |
| And so she grew up by our fireside | I2 |
| And we called her not Maggie oh no | C2 |
| That name we had laid up in Heaven | I |
| And no one must wear it below | C2 |
| But we just called her Pet and her husband | J2 |
| Calls her nothing but Pet to this day | O |
| She's a grown woman now and a mother | C |
| How swiftly the years glide away | O |
| - | |
| Well John never has lacked for employment | K2 |
| And we never have wanted a home | L2 |
| We never said nay to a beggar | C |
| Or refused one that asked it a crumb | V |
| Pet grew up a dear loving woman | I |
| God's light in our house John would say | O |
| And when a good man came and took her | C |
| He took us too the very same day | O |
| But here she comes now with the baby | F |
| And grandmother never says nay | O |
| So here's a good bye to my story | F |
| For baby has come for a play | O |
Pamela S. Vining, (j. C. Yule)
(1)
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About The Stray Lamb. A Grandmother's Story
The Stray Lamb. A Grandmother's Story is a poem by Pamela S. Vining, (j. C. Yule). This page includes the poem text, poet information, related topics, comments, and similar poems.
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